I thought I'd try to give you a glimpse into our lives, I realized that everyone seems to slip into their own worlds and it is important to us that you know what we're doing in ours. Lane is working at Cracker Barrel(the only Cracker Barrel in Tulsa, OK!) as a server and I stay at our "home" while he's working. With my free time I've been making jewelry, crocheting, reading, studying, homemaking and resting. I seem to need a lot of rest to stay up with our schedule! Lane's work schedule changes each week and he is scheduled anywhere between 7 AM and 11 PM, during the recent blizzard his job really went through a difficult time for us. The blizzard caused the restaurant to close and when open it had few customers. His income is strictly customer-driven, so no customers means no income!
Our "home" is currently within the home of a wonderful Christian family, David (father), Lorrie (mother) and Matthew (10-year old homeschooled son). In the family of God, there are many gifts and callings (some I've not been aware of before), the Leathers calling is "Hospitality". Hospitality is a calling and desire to share your home with others who are walking in God's will and desiring to advance His kingdom. They have had people previous to us, and I'm sure they will have others after we're gone. But they feel led to provide a place for us to live while we're seeking God's will in our lives, this provision has really removed a strain from us.
There have been other instances of God working in our lives such as these last 2 weeks, during and after the blizzard. The time of "no money" for us! A minister at our church that reaches out to the homeless has been given food for his outreach, he is not able to use some of the food because it needs refrigeration and God directed him to give it to those of our congregation, including us. We were really thankful for that and received it gladly, then during last week's Friday service, Lane was approached by one of the men and told that God had directed him to give an "offering" in our name, he handed Lane an envelope with money that was for us to give to the Lord, "our" offering. It amazed us that the Lord even provided for us to give back to Him! Then another man came to Lane and handed him some cash and told him that God had told him to do that, the money wasn't a large amount, but it all adds up and is a testimony to God's providing.
The main point of all of sharing these things is that we are learning to walk by faith. We have had it so ingrained in our thinking that we are independent beings and go where we want and do what we want that it is a big learning time for us! Recently Lane had wanted me to go to a women's conference in Kansas City (while I was somewhat excited about it, I wasn't really sure of my complete feelings), Lane and I prayed that if God wanted me to go, that He would need to provide enough tips for the extra expense of the trip. Lane's tips dropped off to the least he had had since he had been working as a server! In our worldly wisdom, we would say "OK, God doesn't want me to go". I informed the group that had invited me to go with them that "evidently this wasn't the year for me to attend", but that "I would be praying for them"! The next morning (very early in the morning) I received a call from my pastor, asking if money was my only issue with the conference, I told them "yes" and they said "then you're going!". Then I realized how much I had truly wanted to go, I was so excited! One of the pastors at my church had been ministering with a woman that had received an unexpected sum of money, she wanted to tithe from the money to our church and specifically for the group going to the conference! So, God did provide and it wasn't through the tips Lane would earn! A lesson learned! Walking by faith means not telling God how to do His job!
We have attended different services at different churches and want to attend even more in Tulsa. We had not realized the rich spiritual life available in Tulsa! There are bible schools and churches offering classes and speakers from the nation. Our weekly schedule currently includes 2 classes, one is "Breaking Free" on Tuesday evening and the other is "Healing the Heart" on Thursday evening. We try to attend a service at our church on Friday nights, (Wind and Fire Service) and Sunday morning (Outpouring worship service) there also. There is not a Sunday evening service there, but there is one available at another church (Open Bible Fellowship, where we are taking the classes) where we really enjoy attending, so we try to go to it also. All of the services are according to Lane's schedule, but his employer has made arrangements for him to be off for our classes and Sunday mornings.
The classes we're taking are prerequisites to any other classes we want to attend here in Tulsa at Firestorm School of Ministry. However, we have found a school in Kansas City (World Revival Church) that may be a possible future training place, depending on God's leading.
These are our current classes:
BREAKING FREE- Do you find yourself struggling with the same issues, same health problems, and same personal conflicts? Chances are likely you may have "open doors," allowing the demonic to have access to your life, your family, and your destiny. The enemy has trespassed into your life, gained legal access, and has harassed and hindered you for years, perhaps even your family line for generations. Through the teaching presented in this class, you will be able to determine if deliverance is needed, where the "open doors" are in your life, and how to gain and maintain your deliverance. In addition, you will learn about the "sixteen strongmen" listed in Scripture, and how to kick them out. In Breaking Free, you will receive ministry, hands-on training for kicking out demonic tormentors, and a chance to start clean. The truth of the matter is this: just as everyone needs to wash their car from time to time, everyone needs a spiritual cleaning. Christians can have demons and unless one takes the necessary steps to "clean house," one will never be able to enjoy life to its fullest and obtain their full destiny.
HEALING OF THE HEART AND SPIRIT- Have you been a Christian for some time, or even a new Christian, and wounds and hurts from your past still haunt you? Perhaps bad things or poor relationships just seem to be a normal part of your life. Then Healing of the Heart and Spirit is for you. This two-part class has been developed to help you be set free from your past. Topics include: Truth and Consequences, The Importance of Forgiveness, Father and Mother Issues, Finding Father, Breaking & Overcoming the Chains of Rejection, Abandonment and Rejection, Orphans to Sons, Performance Orientation, Basic Trust, Hearts of Stone & Inner Vows, Bitter Root Judgments & Expectancy, Parental Inversion, The Slumbering Spirit, and Healing of Prenatal Wounds.
Lane has a dedicated home bible study time which has grown in length and intensity as he walks closer with God. He has an area set up with all of his concordances, bibles and study books and withdraws to it every morning before anything else gets in the way. My time is a little different because I'm at home a lot. I've thought that I was spending all day in my area with God, but I've realized that just because something is "possible" doesn't make it so. Sometimes Lane and I are in the same room for extended times, but that doesn't mean we're spending time "together", so I'm making an effort to continually be aware of walking with God, of praying more consistently. I do normally always have a praise CD or praise music streaming from online. I try to remain sensitive to being led, and I have had several times in our rooms of God meeting me here palpably. Those times are very powerful and life-changing. I have written those encounters in other notes and will get them typed up and included here soon.
While Lane has his own encounters with God, I'm only really qualified to share my own. While at church and in praise, I always close my eyes and lift my hands, my body sways as the tall grass in a gentle breeze does, it's as if it has a mind of its own. When praising, it's as if I leave this realm and enter a special area created for spirit(I do always ask God to come inhabit our praise). Sometimes my mind tries to chatter, but I keep praising until my mind quiets and I am able to just "be". Then at this level of praise, God meets me there, very gently. I've spoken to a woman that has walked with God for many years and is able to recognize His different voices, the voice of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I'm not that good yet! I know God speaks to me and I have been given images. Sometimes I know it's the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit is my teacher according to scripture, and at night I will wake up and recognize that I have been learning or praying. I've woken up praying in the Spirit. One night I woke up from "a teaching", I was so excited that I wanted to wake Lane and share with him what I had just learned, but of course, I realized he needed his sleep. The lesson I had learned that night was that I was praying wrong, I kept asking and asking for things I wanted God to do. but I was shown that God has already done all things and that I needed to reach in and take. I was shown to take and tell God "thank you!" I started telling God thank you for everything I had been asking for, Thank You for the strong Christian man You're raising Camron to be, thank You for bringing Luke to the fullness of the man You have designed him to be, thank You for the mighty woman of God that Gypsy is going to be.....then I started putting my hand to my body and telling Him thank You for the health You're pouring into my body! I was so excited I was telling God thank You for everything. Later when I tried to explain it to Lane it wasn't so easy, but I finally came onto a visual that helped. I told him it was like we're standing by a waterfall and asking God "please give me a drink of water", but God wants us to reach into the waterfalls with our cup and take all we need! He has already given it to us, we are the ones holding ourselves back. Even as I have prayed since then, it's not always easy to grasp this, but I know it's truth and I pray for God to help me completely incorporate it into my life.
A time at church when I don't know which of the persons of God was teaching me showed me a visual, in the visual, I learned of God's love for me (He has been working a lot to help me understand His love). The visual was me as a dirty, grubby child that had been outside playing in the dirt and running into their father that was in the middle of a meeting. My father was wearing white robes and very distinguished looking, with a lot of other men gathered around him, listening to him and seeking his counsel. My Father, even though wearing white and being busy, welcomed me to His lap, He let me climb into His lap and sit there quietly while He continued His business discussion. He had one arm lovingly wrapped around me, not even worrying about my grubbiness or the dirt rubbing off on Him and used the other arm and hand to point to important papers and maps on the table between Him and the other men. The other men never batted an eye at my appearance, as if it happened often that I would sit in my Fathers lap. I sat there quietly feeling so loved, cherished and valued!
The next visual I received like this was a few weeks later and it was of me dressed in a bride's dress, I was dancing with my Father (God), He put the same loving arms around me and held me so gently, so proudly. He would press me to put my head on His shoulder and relax but I would start crying and slip back to a child image of dancing by putting my feet on my Father's feet, we danced that way for a few moments then I transformed back into the bride again. I changed back and forth a few times as the tears would start to overwhelm me. I believe I am the child until I can have the same comfort level dancing as the bride with my head on my Father's shoulder as I have sitting on His lap. That is my goal, to be the bride, dancing with the Father, ready for the Groom! To reach that level I have healing that needs to be completed. I have learned through my walk with God that life with Him is not about a battle between good and bad, it's a love story of the Father for His children.
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